Half to john b



(No Model.)

v J. W. DYER GAR COUPLING.

No. 499,016. Patented June 6, 1893.

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Q WITNESSES p o/z 74.,3 a); 9

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JOHN W. DYER, OF MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR- OF ONE HALF TO JOHN B. NUTT, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,016, dated June 6, 1893. Application filed March 25, 1893. $erial No. 467,629. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. DYER, a citi zen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Airy, in the county of Surry and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Buffer and Oar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which. form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my combined buifer and automatic coupling. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the coupling knuckle, removed from the drawhead. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on a horizontal plane through the drawbar and drawhead, showing my peculiarly constructedspring-latch orlocking device, and also the fiat buffer-spring. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line ma:; and Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of the buffer-spring, removed from its recess in the drawbar.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to automatic car couplers of the type known technically as knuckle couplings, and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a coupling of that class whereby the drawhead will operate in the two-fold capacity of coupler and buffer, thus obviating and dispensing with the use of separate buffers and buffer-springs, as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A denotes the drawbar and B the drawhead of my improved automatic car coupling. The former is slotted longitudinally so as to form a rectangular recess or chamber, 0, open on both sides but closed at the top and bottom and at both ends, within which is inserteda flat serpentine spring, D, the rear end of which abuts upon a cross bar E, inserted transversely through the rear end of chamber 0 and held in place between pins, 6 e, fastened in the carrier iron, or some other suitable rigid part of the frame. The forward end of spring D bears against the solid fore-end of the recessed drawbar, just back of the drawhead B. Said drawhead is recessed at f, as usual, to make room for the pivoted knuckle F, which swings upon a stout fulcrum-pin or pintle G. The knuckle F is recessed at H to admit of the insertion of an ordinary link when the drawhead is to be used with an ordinary pinand-link coupling, in which case the coupling pin is inserted through registering holes h h in the forward bifurcated end of the knuckle. The inner end of this, which projects into the recess f, is elongated to form a tail piece F, which is notched or bifurcated at at its outer end, as shown at I; the said notched end being curved or concave on one side, as shown at i, for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

Just back of the recess f, within which the inner end ofrthe tail piece F plays, is a box J, forming a chamber or recess for the springlatch K, which interlocks with the recess I. This latch consists of a sliding bolt, beveled at its forward end, and having a shank, 70,

which is encircled by a coiled spring L, 0perating to push the latch into its locked position. At the projecting rear end of the latch stem is, which projects out through an aperture in the rear end of box J, is a ring, j, for the attachment of a chain, M, by rneans of which the latch may be drawn back and disengaged from the forked tail piece F of the coupling knuckle when it is desired to uncouple the cars. The chain M is connected, for this purpose, to any of the well-known (and therefore not shown) systems of rods and levers whereby the uncoupling may be effected from the platform of the car, on pas= senger coaches, or from the roof or sides of the car, as in the case of box cars and freight cars equipped with my improved automatic coupling.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the operation of this combined coupling and bufier will readily be understood. When cars are to be coupled, the latch K is withdrawn and the knuckle F is turned in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. As the cars come to gether, the drawheads will interlock in the well understood manner peculiar to this type in between the cars.

of couplings, the knuckle at the same time interlocking at its bifurcated or notched inner end with the spring-actuated lockinglatch K, so that the interlocking or coupled drawheads of connecting cars cannot possibly become uncoupled until the latch is again withdrawn and the knuckle released, which operation maybe performed, as I have already stated, from the platform, roof, or sides of the car, and Without the necessity of going It will further be observed that the flat spring D, which is placed within the longitudinally slotted drawbar, 0perates as a buifer spring to cushion the blow on the drawhead when the cars come together. In addition to this bufier spring, the drawbar is or may be equipped with the usual tension spring encircling it, but which, as it forms no part of myimprovenient, I have not shown on the drawings.

I have referred to the rounded or concave side of the bifurcated tail-piece F of the knuckle, as shown at i, on one side of the latch recess I. This is for the purpose of guiding the inner end of an ordinary link (when the drawhead is to be used with an ordinary pin-and-link coupling) into the recess of the drawhead as the cars come togetherin coupling with such a link. In that case, the inner end of the link, striking against the concave side 2' of the notched tail-piece F,

will throw this to the left or against the bevel of the latch and thereby cause the knuckle to interlock automatically with the spring latch, the same as when two knuckle-couplings are used together.

It will be obvious that the detailed shape of the knuckle may be modified to conform to the shape of other couplings of the same type, as, for example, the J anney coupler, Miller coupler, Thurmond coupler, and many other so-called knuckle couplings which are nowin use on various roads, without departing from the spirit of my invention; and that the size and configuration of the several operative parts of myimproved automatic coupling may be changed or adjusted in matters of detail to make it adapted for practical use with other automatic or non-automatic couplers now employed to a greater or less extent, or which may come into use at some future time, without changing the general construction and combination of parts which form the subject-matter of my improvement. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- In a car coupling of the described type, the combination of the slotted drawbar, the flat spring placed within the recess in the same and arranged and operating as described,the recessed knuckle drawhead, the pivoted coupling knuckle having a rearwardly extending bifurcated tail-piece, and the beveled spring-latch working in a horizontal plane; substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto aifixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

B. F. GRAVES, M. D. MOORE. 

